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I don't want or need anymore hives so am glad to help the population in the area. Neighbor didn't need them...nope dont feel bad at all...love watching them. Nice big swarm up in the tree...just waiting for them to find a nice home.

There are three pages of prints/illustration with two pages of explanation what happens is the backside or the midrib (made from rubber with sufficient Shore hardness) of the foundation lifts up and down and down (opening and closing the back of the cell) the honey drains out the back side of the cell and yes it's is metal aluminum or alloyed.

Figure 6 clearly shows the comb when separated; Figure 3 shows a collection tube feeding into an external container; and so on. The Patent text discusses how the mechanism operates in some detail.

Relative to the Flow-Hive, the 1940's Patent is a far superior design. If the midrib were to be made from rubber with sufficient Shore hardness to prevent the bees from chewing it, yet soft enough to maintain a seal when synthetic combs were pressed against it, this would provide a reliable sealing mechanism which could maintain it's integrity over many years of use and, as a bonus, would also lend itself to cheap, non-precision mass manufacturing techniques.

Congrats on catching your first swarm. One thing I do and I recommend to anyone who'll listen is to get a frame of open brood from another hive, and give it a quick rap to knock all the bees off. Use that frame in whatever you're putting the swarm into. They'll instantly lock onto those larva and it anchors them from leaving if they don't 100% like the accommodations. Little is as depressing as going to review the landing board activity of a freshly hived swarm (that you spent time and money to get to) only to realize that they've left.

I am a new BEE! I have two nucs ordered for this spring. Last fall, I amended 3 acres of soil on my property and planted red and ladino clover. We are having a local beekeepers meeting tonight in Mayfield. Looking forward to meeting new folks; learning and exploring!Thanks,Steve

Your bees are likely to be in the top boxes right now.. with a medium on top, they may extend below that medium into the deep. if you intend to split the brood to put another deep between, make sure its going to be WARM. As already stated, let them get the deep mostly drawn before adding the next box of empty frames..